Awesome Movie

Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

I like WWII propaganda films. However, I also will admit that often they lack logic. Their intent was to rouse the folks watching it-- stirring their patriotic fervor, not their intellect. In the case of "Blackout", it's a pretty exciting film but completely illogical from start to finish.The film begins with a Danish* ship awaiting inspection by a British naval patrol. After all, WWII has begun and the Brits are just making sure nothing is getting in or out of the country that would help the Nazis. The Captain of the ship (Conrad Veidt) is cooperative and things seem just fine. However, and here's where the film starts to get stupid, a couple passes which would have allowed him and his first mate to go ashore suddenly go missing--and so do two passengers. Obviously the pair had taken the passes and went ashore. Now anyone with at least 1/2 ounce of brain would think to contact the British authorities to let them know. After all, the two might be German agents. But, since it's a propaganda film, the Captain and his mate sneak ashore and the Captain goes in search of the pair (don't worry, it's only London and it's not like it's one of the largest cities in the world!!! Finding them should be a snap). Does the Captain NOW find a cop or some other authority for help? Nah, he goes out and almost immediately tries to find them....and he DOES find the lady! She almost immediately tries to give him the slip--and yet he STILL does not seek police help!!! This is pretty much what happens throughout the rest of the film-- even when the Captain DEFINITELY discovers a Nazi spy ring. Why bother telling the police when you can take on a group like Nazi spies?! Illogical from start to finish but also find of exciting and fun.*This film is set in 1939--before the Germans took over Denmark. So, when the film occurred, the Danes were still neutral and not involved in the war.

"Contraband" has been frequently compared to the works of Hitchcock, which is no surprise. There is an air of suspense and danger as the two main characters, Captain Andersen (Conrad Veidt) and Mrs. Sorensen (Valerie Hobson), traverse a British city in the darkness of a wartime blackout. The viewer is asked to accompany them, never quite knowing what forces are at play or who are the "good guys". The film also feels a little like "Casablanca", with shadowy, nefarious forces at work while the couple is drawn together emotionally.Also, like Hitchcock, there is a very playful side to the action. The manners of society are observed while threatening subtexts are played out. Andersen and Sorensen, likewise--in the early part of the film--play a cat-and-mouse game that is enjoyable to watch.The mechanics of the plot don't seem to matter much, like one of Hitchcock's McGuffins, and the photography seems more about style than substance. Filmed in B&W, of course, the story slinks in and out of darkened passageways, foggy ports and backrooms.This film is a lot of fun to watch, especially if one just enjoys the action without trying to decipher the finer points of the intrigue.

Just watched this on TCM, where it appeared in their day-long tribute to Veidt - parenthetically, their August programs featuring one actor per day have unearthed some marvelous stuff (eg, early Ann Dvorak). TCM aired it as "Contraband", the original British title - and it's a very British piece indeed. The plot is complex & often nonsensical, but I don't think one ever watches Michael Powell films for tidy screenplays. Veidt and Hobson encounter one another on his ship, and then whiz across London, first pursuing/eluding one another, then working together to undo a German spy ring. Much hugger-mugger, with a multitude of British character actors working in blackout darkness and then brightly-lit, often chaotic interiors (train compartments, restaurants, ship's lounges, nightclubs, elevators ....) Veidt and Hobson are charming in tandem, with a grownup sexual tension that for this viewer was a striking contrast to the more standard youthful leads of that time (and ours). As other commenters have noted, the filmmakers include a subtle thread of delight in bondage, mild fetishism, etc (eg,Hobson's shoes & feet during her captivity). Ah, the British. Clearly made on a budget, the entire production nonetheless looks & feels terrific - gritty shipboard all-male scenes, a couple of nightclub production numbers that have to be seen to be believed, a swell Art Deco townhouse - and underneath it all, maneuvering through the London blackout as a necessary given, a condition of life that the Brits seem to take for granted as the darkest days of the war approach. I had never seen Veidt so sympathetic - here a memorable leading man, versus his more well-know villains..And I was until now unfamiliar with Hay Petrie, here in a double role as Veidt's shipboard second-in-command, and that character's brother, a volatile (& hilarious) Danish restaurateur (don't ask!) All in all - a delight.

Conrad Veidt and Valerie Hobson had appeared together with surprising effect in 'The Spy in Black'. They were reunited in this splendid comedy thriller with a Hitchcockian mode the following year.Lots of action and wry humour, with a pleasing spy story set in a London blackout. Hobson plays a spy who needs to get information to the Admiralty. To do this, she steals the landing pass of the ship's skipper (Veidt) whilst the ship is in harbour for a contraband check.Veidt follows her to London where they encounter a Nazi spy ring intent on obtaining this information. They are tied up, but Veidt escapes, and with the help of fellow Danes (Veidt is Danish in this film, and a good guy!), foils the plot.Funny, charming, sexy and thrilling (with just a little bit of bondage!), and with a great chemistry between the two stars.Great fun!